How does counselling work? What should I expect?
Many people have lots of questions or concerns about coming to see a counsellor as they are not sure what to expect; and it can seem even more daunting at a time in your life when you may feel vulnerable.
I'd like to share a little about what counselling can be like, to answer any questions you may have.
Counselling is a listening and talking process that helps you to focus on, and understand, the concerns that are troubling you. You may want support with:
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addressing specific problems
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developing personal insight
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improving relationships *
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coping with crisis or change
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making decisions
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or safely and confidentially exploring inner conflict.
The counselling session is a time for you to use exactly how you wish; that may be talking or sharing some difficult feelings or emotions, or it may be sitting in silence and reflecting on how you feel. How you use the time is entirely up to you. There is no pressure to be or do anything other than what feels right for you at the time.
Sessions may often reflect what's going on for you in your world outside of the counselling room - and many clients are surprised to find that as well as exploring difficult issues, there is sometimes space and time for humour as we find ways to meet life's ups and downs!
During our time together, I am not an expert looking for rights and wrongs or telling you what to do. You are the expert in your life; I'm there to really listen and support you in a totally non-judgemental way. Sometimes feeling that someone has properly heard us, enables us to make the decisions or gain insights into how to deal with situations or behaviours that hadn't seemed clear to us previously.
* Recent (March 2019) relationship counselling research giving unique insight into why couples seek relationship counselling:
My practice is within easy reach of
Odiham, Hook, Fleet, Hartley Wintney, Alton, Farnham, Basingstoke and surrounding areas and villages.
Please do contact me, Paula Annels, if there is any more information you would like or to chat about how to take the next steps.